Mother says cops traumatized family and dog

Gilda Jones

Another mother has come forth to accuse members of the Belize Police Department of abusing her son.  But Gilda Jones says that the police are also harassing her family even after her son, Calvin Palma, has been sent to jail on remand for a firearm offense.  The situation got outrageously out of control over the past weekend and Jones says that the cops went so far as to humiliate other family members and brutalized their dog.

Gilda Jones, Alleges Police Brutality upon Her Son

“Mi daughter seh deh come like three times Thursday night, deh come like three times eena the day Friday.  Mi daughter deh wasn’t here. Deh gone stay the weekend.  Then they stay come—mi son seh deh stay come constant fi one ah mi son and thing. So Saturday they come and they neva find ahn. Then dehn gone and they find ahn pan Gill Street. So when I gone pan Gill Street, they got certain people and soh—they noh wah want yoh call they name—tell me, Miss Gilda I neva like how they treat Palma. Because di lee bwai they done charge ahn and thing, the police they come, take ahn and get wah white bucket outta the yard weh part ih mi deh—take the bucket and slam it down pan ih head and punch ahn up and thing, pick up ahn and dash ah eena the vehicle like wah dog. I noh like that, yoh understand , I noh like that.”

Marion Ali

Calvin Palma

“The people told you this?’

Gilda Jones

“Yes ma’am and mi daughter-in-law too—she was around. But they ‘fraid fi talk, but I noh wah ‘fraid fi talk.”

Marion Ali

“So this happened when?”

Gilda Jones

“Saturday.  Deh pick up ah Saturday, deh lock ah down til yesterday, they ker ahn back fi di next case then afterwards they ker up ahn. We goen yesterday, we noh even know when the next case because they neva wahn make we go in or nothing. They only say the case adjourn ‘til I noh know when. You understand where I di come from? So when I come here yesterday, two times wa red vehicle with the police they come, ask for ahn and I tell dehn ih noh deh yah. Unu supposed to know which part ih deh. So yesterday evening around then yah time yah soh, the same set come again and seh which part Palma deh cause we hear, they noh—I tell dehn no man Palma done get hold, Palma supposed to done deh dah jail by now and thing. Ha ha so Palma done deh dah jail. So I tell dehn about the bucket and thing. They say so they put bucket ova yoh son head noh? Ha ha.”

Marion Ali

“This was an officer who was doing this?”

Gilda Jones

“Yes ma’am. Four ah dehn come eena the vehicle yesterday and after that they say well I got this fi tell you. Ha ha, after this yo wah have to go look for yoh son dah jail. You know like dehn di tek mi mek papishow and thing and I noh really like that.”

Marion Ali

“So why did they come here for him yesterday?

Gilda Jones

“I noh know mami. Every time Palma deh dah jail that dah weh they always do. We wah see Palma, we come fi Palma when they know that the bwai—they come and provoke me and thing.”

Marion Ali

“What is he doing at the jail? He is there for another case you said?”

Gilda Jones

“Fi the gun weh the police mi tell ahn fi give up and that they noh mi wah charge ahn.”

Marion Ali

“That was a previous incident?”

Gilda Jones

“That happened a year and change ago.   Two Thursdays ago, they come here and mi daughter mi deh yah and the baby and thing and the police they come, they noh ask no question—they just barge in, mi daughter mi di come from so and they tell me daughter make ih wait yah so. They rub down the house and thing. One ah dehn take the dog pan di step and they kick up ah, kick up ahn, kick up ahn and whap up ahn and that dog deh noh bite. Mi daughter di tell they—then they take mi three year old grandbaby and put ah pan di street and tell ahn keep your R right out yah because yoh deh eena di way and we di do our job. I noh like that. That dah wah three year old baby—that noh have nothing fi do with ahn. And then up to now my daughter noh know weh they come look for.”

Marion Ali

“This was the same set of officers?”

Gilda Jones

“Yes ma’am. Dah they lone come harass we.”

Jones, who originally lived in Dangriga, says she is seriously contemplating moving back home, but not before taking the matter to the office of the Ombudsman.

Gilda Jones

“Sometimes Calvin noh even—most ah the time Calvin deh dah jail and thing when they come. Before day dah mawning they wah come and say that dehn di come fi look fi yoh son. All type ahn police come and they know mi police deh dah jail.”

Marion Ali

“Is it your other son that they are coming for?”

Gilda Jones

“No ma’am. The same one weh deh dah jail. Anytime deh come; “weh Palma deh?” Mami they know mi son deh dah jail and sometimes we di sleep yah dah night and they still come and wake up me.  All weh I woulda want mek deh do dah stop come dah mi house and stop di harass me and thing like that.”

Marion Ali

“Do they carry out searches when they come?”

Gilda Jones

“When they come, they noh even tell me nothing. If we deh yah, they just come bolt in. They dig up the whole place and when they done they go. They noh tell me they come search for this, they come search fi that, nothing, They wah look around di yard, go in there, turn over this, turn over that, go ‘bout their business and they noh want we come eena fi we own house. They wah tell we wait outside. We can’t wait outside then they come set thing yah. Oh no we have to come inside.”

Marion Ali

“You agree that the police have to do their job though?”

Gilda Jones

“I know that mami, but dah the way they come. They noh come with principle, they just come and barge in. and if the children deh eena di way, they wah di point ‘bout gun and thing and they children they deh yah. I noh like that.  I gone to mek a report and thing right dah Raccoon Street. And when I woulda go and talk to they and thing, they woulda say, if yoh son noh di do thing, they noh gwen dah your house di go on like that and the man dehn deh di do deh job.”

Marion Ali

“Are you going to make a report to anybody?”

Gilda Jones

“Yes ma’am. I want make a report. I gwen dah the ombuds-lady tomorrow.”

Gilda Jones says she also has witnesses who can attest that her son was not near a robbery scene, for which the police have charged him.